Operating Equipment Outside the building

Hi everyone,

Would there be a significant risk in allowing a piece of equipment (fork lifts/dollys) to operate outside of the building?  If so, what risk level would you say that is and would you require a preventative step before allowing the fork lift to re-enter the facility?  Our current procedure states, "After completion of outside task, any equipment part that comes into contact with the ground or pavement outside must be sanitized before reentry." 

We are primarily a storage and distribution operation with a mid size repack operation. 

Trying to decide if this sanitation step is really necessary. 

Thanks for any help! 

Hi, 

The risk to the product is none. There is no manufacturing is carried out on site.  Only packed products are brought on site and stored and then sent on for distribution. Therefore there is no direct risk to product safety taking in consideration Microbiol, physical or chemical. These are your justification for removing the sanitation process from your process steps.  

The wheels of the forklift does not pose risk to the safety of the products stored on site. I am assuming you will have the forklift safety starts up /Maintenance checks and that should suffice.  

Thanks 

Hi everyone,

Would there be a significant risk in allowing a piece of equipment (fork lifts/dollys) to operate outside of the building?  If so, what risk level would you say that is and would you require a preventative step before allowing the fork lift to re-enter the facility?  Our current procedure states, "After completion of outside task, any equipment part that comes into contact with the ground or pavement outside must be sanitized before reentry." 

 

 

We are primarily a storage and distribution operation with a mid size repack operation. 

 

Trying to decide if this sanitation step is really necessary. 

 

Thanks for any help! 

I partly agree with the previous post except for 2 caveats -

(1) the details of the re-packing operation may affect any conclusion.

(2) the generic answer to yr overall query requires a risk assessment of any significant possibilities of cross-contamination due to the ouside "excursion". The RA includes such internal items as product, "process", including (1), environment, personnel.

As per the above, yr current forklift SOP might already be considered a partial simplification.

Perhaps someone has already done a RA to justify the existing SOP ? If otherwise, it is usually necessary to know the detailed route/possible outside/inside interactions of the forklift/driver to carry out a RA. And particularly if you intend to modify the current SOP.

I recall another query/discussion to a similar topic within the last 12 months or so on this forum. You might like to search a bit (I had a quick look but couldn't find it).